Question about using a pen name

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bradscott

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I am hoping to get my book published, but will publish it myself if I have to.

How do I go about using a pen name and proving that I authored the book if I publish it myself.

I know it seems to be a strange question, but I really have no knowledge about these things!

Thanks in advance for any advice.
 

aka eraser

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If you publish with a commercial house, show people the cheques made out to your real name.

If you self-publish, you can probably show people all the unsold books in your garage.

Sorry if the latter sounds harsh but it's the usual fate of those who go it alone.

Good luck.
 

bradscott

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It will be my last resort. I know Robert Kiyosaki got started that way. Either way, I want to complet the book for myself. I just hope that it helps others as well.
 

bradscott

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Thanks for the links. I am not sure if I will use a pen name. My last name is difficult to say. i don't want to have people's tongues stumbling just reading the cover!
 

JeanneTGC

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Pen names should be looked at as marketing or business tools (IMO).

A difficult name can mean your readers can never find your book, because they can't get the name right -- so a pen name might be wise.

If you write in a variety of genres, due to how readers think and bookstores shelve, you will probably need to use pen names. (As an example, someone writing YA fantasy and hardcore erotica might want to use two different pen names.)
 

Captain Morgan

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If you are copyrighting in the US, your pen name will be marked as such in the reccords, along with your legal name. So you don't have to prove anything, anyone can look it up free.

That's the strange thing how the US system works, you really can't get a pen-name there and have to open your private life up to the public when you register. They just let you stick on a different name on the book-cover. But many other nations allow you to copyright your pseudoname as your legal.
 

bradscott

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I have actually considered changing my name legally. The way it sounds with my first name turns the whole thing into a tongue twister. Even when I say it I have to have to place a long space between the first and last name because the two just don't blend together nicely. Benn a problem my whole life!
 
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